Mailing envelope



Dec. 25, 1956 J. LINDNER MAILING ENVELOPE 2 Sheets-Sheen'l l Filed NOV. 12, 1953 Tn OPEN Thnx Anous rms Lm:

TEMENT Dec. 25, 1956 J. LINDNER MAILING ENVELOPE Filed Nov. 12. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 s E m V z E S STATEMEN 'r Senvacss hay,

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JOHN Jamas RTTORNEYS.

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.EIGJL United Sttes MAILING ENvELoPE Joseph Lindner, Cincinnati, Ohio Application November 12, 1953, Serial No. 391,521 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-73) My invention relates to mailing envelopes, and more particularly to a mailing envelope which also serves as a statement, the envelope construction including a return payment envelope as an integral part thereof.

It isa principal object of my invention to provide an envelope construction of the character described which is formed, essentially, from a single sheet of material cut and scored to form both the mailing envelope and the return envelope, the two envelope parts being severable from each other along a line for severance.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an envelope construction of the character described which may be supplied to the user in blank form, the arrangement of parts being such that the envelope blank may be fed into a typewriter with all typing confined to one surface of the blank. Thus, with a single pass through the typewriter, both the statement and the address of the recipient may be typed on the blank, whereupon the blank is folded to form a mailing envelope with the return envelope enclosed therein. h

Yet another object of my invention is the provision of Y an envelope structure of the character described wherein the mailing envelope may be conveniently opened by the recipient thereof by tearing olf a perforated edge portion of the envelope, the arrangement of parts being such that the tearing of the mailing envelope along the perforations will additionally result in the severance of the return envelope from the mailing envelope along the line for severance therebetween.

Still a further object of my invention is the provision of an envelope construction wherein the mailing envelope is provided with a window opening and wherein the name and the address of the recipient is adapted to be placed on the rear face of the return envelope'and the return envelope thereafter infolded with the printed indicia thereon overlying the window opening. Thus .a single printing of the recipients name and address will serve both for the mailing address of the mailing envelope and the senders identification for the return envelope. In-many instances the user of the return envelope will forget to identify himself and proper credit to his account'cannot be made; but by means of my envelope construction this diiculty is eliminated without additional elort on the part of the person initially addressing the envelope.`

These and other objects of my invention which will appear hereinafter or which will be apparent to the skilled Worker in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe several exemplary embodiments.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings wherein: Y

' Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank for an envelope construction in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the blank illustrated in Fige 2,775,396 Ice Patented Dec. 25, 1956 2 ure l with the parts forming the return envelope in folded and glued condition.

Figures 3, 4, and 5 show successive stages in the assembly of the blank to forma mailing envelope.

Figure 6 is a plan view similar to Figure 5 showing the reverse side of the completed mailing envelope.

Figure 7 is a plan view of an alternative blank construction.

Figures 8 through 1l illustrate successive stages in the formation of the completed envelope structure from the blank shown in Fig. 7.

Figure l2 is a plan view illustrating the front or face of the return envelope.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, I have therein illustrated a blank for the formation of my novel envelope construction. The blank will be formed from suitable envelope-forming material capable of receiving printed indicia and will be cut and creased to deline the various parts of the envelope construction.

The outer or mailing envelope portion of the blank is made up of a front wall 1 having a window opening 2 cut therefrom. A rear wall 3 is articulated to a longitudinal edge of the wall 1 along the crease line 4; and end flaps 5 and 6 are connected to the opposite end edges of the wall 1 along crease lines 7 and 8, respectively. A line for severance 9 defines a narrow attachment tab 10 extending along the free longitudinal edge of rear Wall 3; and a mating line for severance 11 defining a tab portion 12 extends longitudinally through the front wall 1, with prolongations 11a and 11b of the line for severance 11 extending through the end llaps 5 and 6, respectively.

The window opening 2, itwill be noted, is spaced from the center of the front wall 1 toward the line for severance 11 so as to provide a space, indicated generally at 13, where a statement may be printed on the remainder of the ,front wall 1 and the rear wall 3. In this connection, it will be understood that the uppermost surfaces of the walls 1 and 3, as viewed in Figure l, will constitute the inner wall surfaces of the closed envelope. It will also be understood that the window opening 2 will be covered by a sheet of cellophane or similar transparent material, in the usual fashion.

The longitudinal edge of the front Wall 1 opposite the edge 4 thereof is provided with a neck portion 14 connected to the front wall 1 along crease lines 15, and the front wall panel 16 of the return envelope is connected to the neck portion along the line for severance 17. End flaps 18 and 19 are secured to the opposite end edges of the return envelope front wall along the crease lines 20 and 21, respectively, and a closure flap 22 is connected thereto along the crease line 23. The rear wall of the return envelope is supplied by the separate flap 24 which is secured to the longitudinal edge of frontwall 16 by means of attachment flaps 25. Thefrear wall.24 Vis adapted to extend inwardly so as to overlie a portion of the front wall 1 of the mailing envelope, in the manner illustrated, thereby presenting itsinner surface uppermost.

In the varrangement just described, it isv preferable.

that Vthe end of the neck portion 14 terminatefshort of the ends of the front wall 1 of the mailing envelope with the length of the front wall 16 of the return envelope of a length equal to' that'of the neck portion, thereby assuring that the return envelope will be of a size which will conveniently fit within the confines of the mailing envelope. It is also preferred that the width of the neck portion 14 be equal to the width of the tab. portions 10 and 12 so that upon infolding of the return envelope along the crease line 15, the line for severance 17 will coincide with the lines for severance 9 and ,11,

in the mannerwhich Vwill be more fully explained hereinafter.

Adhesive will be applied to the attachment tab and to the outer marginal edge of the closureflap 22, as Aindicated by the shaded area-s Yin YFigure 1,. 'similarly adhesive will be applied to areas 26 and 27 on the under surface of the return envelope end `flaps '18 and V19, respectively. Rernoi'st'enable or pressure sensitive adhesive maybe Vused for all adhesive areas, o'r combinations thereof may be used. Preferably, however, pres'- sure sensitive `adhesive will be employed since it will reduce the work involved in assembling the blank structure. It will be understood that Vthe blanks may be shipped and stored in the condition illustrated in Figure l and will be sold to the user in blank form.

In use, 'the end flaps `1`8 and 19 of the return envelope will be `first infolded and the 'rear wall 24 of the return envelope thereafter infolded and secured to the adhesive Vareas 26 and 27 to form the return envelope. The closure iap 22 may thereafter be infolded to overlie the rear wall of the return envelope, it being understood that the closure ap will not be adhered to the underlying wall surface. Where the adhesive on the closure flap is of pressure sensitive character a suitable cover strip may be provided to prevent accidental adherence of the closure tlap to the rear wall of the envelope. Y

The envelope construction now assumes the condition illustrated in Figure 2, in which condition it may be fed into a typewriter for the typing of the statement `and the name and the address of the recipient. A suitable space indicated at 28'is provided on the rear wall 24 of the return envelope for the name and address of the recipient. As lwill be apparent from Figure 2, both the statement and the space 28 for the name and address lie on the same side of the blank and areY arranged so that both may be typed during a single pass of the blank through the typewriter, the blank being fed into the typewriter with the return envelope leading.

While it is preferred that the return envelope be formed prior to the typingof the blank, it will be evident that the rear wall 24 of the return envelope may be folded so as to overlie the front wall 16 and the blank passed through the typewriter with the end flaps 18 and 19 and the closure Hap 22 in extended condition.

Upon removal of the blank from the typewriter, thel Vreturn envelope portion thereof vwill be infolded along the crease line so as to juxtapose the rear wall of the return envelope to the `front Wall of the mailing envelope with the space 28 juxtaposed to the window opening 2. In this connection, `it will be noted that the neck portion 14 serves to bridge the tab 12 and hence position the return envelope with the line for severance 17 coinciding with the lineV for severance V11. It will also ,be noted that the front wall 16 of .the return envelope will bear the name and address, indicated at 29, of the person or firm to whom the return envelope is to be sent. As seen in Figure 3, the return envelope when infolded to overlie the front wall of the mailing envelope, is spaced inwardlyfsomewhatfrom the crease lines 4, and k8 defining the edges of the mailing envelope. lThereafter, the end flaps 5 and 6 are infolded tofoverliethe return-.,envelope, in the-mannerillustrated inFigure 4,- whereupon the rear wall '3 of the mailing envelope isinfolded to complete the closure of the mailing envelope, the adhesive bearing attachment tab 10 contacting end edge portionsV of lthe end flaps 5" and 6 andthe neck portion ,14, completely sealing the mailing envelope. It Ywill be noted that the mailing envelope, when.sofolded,bri"ngs the lines for severance 9, 11,1111: andllb, and 157 into coincidence.

The; frontA of the-v seale'd envelope'is'l seen in Figure 6, andiitwillbe' noted that-thegnam'eand address printed omnitel-rear wall-*ofl'thereturn envelope is clearly visible' through the window opening. Since the return envelope'is Aconnected to the neck portion 14, it cannot move lwithin the mailing envelope so as to lose its registry with the window openng.

Upon receipt of the mailing envelope, the recipient may conveniently open it by tearing along the coinciding lines for severance. This results in disengaging the return envelope from the mailing envelope so that the recipient has, on the one hand, a pre-addressed and prereturn addressed return envelope; and von the other hand, a statement comprising the unsevered portions of the front and rear walls of the mailing envelope. These parts are designated at A and B, respectively, in VFigure 2.

Referring now to Figure 7 of the drawings, I have therein illustrated a modified blank in which the return envelope is formed wholly from the blank without the addition of a separate llap element. In this embodiment, 'the mailing envelope comprises a front wall .30 having a rear wall 31 connected to a longitudinal edge thereof along the crease line 32. The rear wall 31 is provided with an attachment tab .33 severably connected to the wall .31 along the line for severance 34. The upper surfacel of rear wall 31, which will lie to the inside of the mailing envelope, is provided with a space, indicated at 35, for a statement. The front wall 30 is provided witha window/.opening 36 offset from the center of the wall toward the crease line 32', and end flaps 37 and 38Nare foldably secured to the ends of the front wall. A line for severance 39 defines a tab portion 40 at the opposite .longitudinal edge of the front wall, the line for severance .39 having extensions 39a and 39h extending Youtwardly through the end flaps 37 and 38, respectively. A I y y A rneck portion 41 of reduced length relative to the length of the walls of the mailing envelope connects the rear wall 42 of the return envlope to the mailing envelope, a line for severance 43 extending between the neck portion 41 and the rear wall 42 of the return envelope. A front .wall 44 is connected to the opposite longitudinal edge of the' front wall 42 and it carries a closure hap 45. End iiaps 46 and 47 are connected to the end edges ofthe return envelope rear wall 42 and the wall is provided with av spacer-55 for the name and address of .the recipient. The name and. address of the sender will be printed on the front wall 4.4 of thereturn envelope, as indicated at 49.

As in the caseof Vthe embodiment illustrated in Figure l, the arrangement of .parts is such Vthat a single pass through the typewriter will permit the typing ofthe statement and the recipients name and address in the spaces 35 and 48, respectively. Adhesive will be applied to the upper surfaces of the end flaps 46 and 47, as indicated by the shaded areas 50 and 51, aswell as to the upper surface of the attachment portion 33. Adhesive for thev closure ilap of the return envelope will be applied to the under surface of the ap 45, as indicated by the shaded area 52. The retu'f envelope is assembled by rst folding' the en'd 'ilaps 46 and 47 rearwardly, followed by the infolding of the front wall 44 and the adhesive securement of the frontwall tothe endflaps. The closure1aps 45 will 'bereve'rsely folded to overlie the front wall 44, with the folded edge between the front .wall and the closureap lying' immediately adjacent the line for severrance-43'. VTherconstruction thus assumes the condition illustrated in Figure S. Next the assembled return envelope is folded along thel crease line betweenthe neck portion liliandhefront wall .3u of the .return envelope to juxtapose the space 4S to the window opening 36, the blank thus assuming the position illustrated in' VVFigure 9. lt will be noted that the folding of the return envelopein this manner juxtaposes the lines for severance 39 and 43 and positions the return envelope Vwithin the continesV of `the wall 3tlfof the mailing envelope. Thereafter the e'rid walls 37 and 38 of the'niailing" en- Mau,

Waeco velope are infolded over the return envelope and the rear wall 31 infolded and the attachment portion 33 thereof adhesively secured to the neck portion 40 and the underlying edge portions of the end aps 37 and 38, the assembly thus assuming the position illustrated in Figure 10.

The completely assembled envelope construction is illustrated in Figure 1l, and the arrangement is such that the envelope may be readily opened by tearing along the line for severance 39 and coinciding lines for severance 34, 39a, 39b and 43, thereby again opening the mailing envelope as well as severing the return envelope from it. As in the case of the preceding embodiment, the recipient is provided with a pre-addressed and pre-return addressed envelope, which is designated D in Figure 8, and a statement attached to the front wall portion of the mailing envelope, designated C in Figure 8. The severed return envelope, which is illustrated in Figure 12, may be sealed for mailing simply by reversely folding the closure flap 45 and adhesively securing it to the underlying surface of the rear wall 42.

In either of the constructions described above, it will be noted that the return envelope is spaced inwardly from the edges of the mailing envelope so as to provide a space in which a letter opener or knife may be inserted should the recipient desire to open the envelope other than by means of the lines for severance. It will also be noted that the constructions are such that insertion of a letter opener or similar object is unlikely to sever any portion of the enclosed return envelope.

It will be obvious that modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having, however, described my invention in certainfexemplary embodiments, what I desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent is:

An envelope construction consisting of a mailing envelope having a front wall with a window opening therein, a rear wall connected to said front wall along a side edge thereof, said rear wall at least having a designated space on the inner surface thereof for a statement, a neck portion connected to the remaining side edge of said front wall, and a return envelope having front and rear walls connected to said neck portion along a line for severance, the front wall of the return envelope being integrally connected to said neck portion along the said line for severance, the'rear wall of said return envelope comprising a separate panel member having an attachment flap adhesively secured to the front wall of said return envelope immediately adjacent the said line for severance, said return envelope and said neck portion being foldable to overlie the inner surface of the front wall of said mailing envelope, said return envelope having a designated return address space on the rear Wall thereof adapted to be juxtaposed to the window opening in the vfront wall of said mailing envelope to provide an address for the mailing envelope, the front wall of said return envelope having a designated space thereon for the address of the sender, said neck portion serving, when infolded along its line of connection to the front wall of said mailing envelope, to space the said line for severance inwardly from the side edgeof said mailing envelope front wall, .and a mating line for severance in the front wall of said mailing envelope coinciding in the folded structure with the line for severance between said neck portion and said return envelope, the front wall of said mailing envelope having end aps at the ends thereof including lines for perforation formed in prolongation of the lines of perforation in the said front wall, and an attachment flap connected to the free side edge of said mailing envelope rear wall along a line for severance, said attachment ap having adhesive on the inner surface thereof for securing said ap to the said neck portion when the parts are juxtaposed, thereby bringing all of said lines for severance into coinciding relationship such that the mailing envelope may be opened by tearing the structure along a single line, said structure being otherwise free from lines of severance.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 769,536 Dixon Sept. 6, 1904 1,180,981 Cufal Apr. 25, 1916 1,575,769 Kaye Mar. 9, 1926 1,951,955 Wilde Mar. 20, 1934 1,960,054 Johnson May 22, 1934 2,402,821 Kosteling June 25, 1934 

